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Pinochle (4 Player)

Overview

* 48 card double deck 9-A

* Card rank A, 10, K, Q, J, 9

* The only cards that have value are A, 10, K (1 point each)

* Each player gets 12 cards

* If a player is dealt a hand with 5 or more 9’s and no possible melds, the hand can be thrown out and the deck must be re-dealt. The hand must be thrown out before bidding begins, however.

* Dealer calls out his partner (with a card he only has one of). That person will be his partner for all subsequent rounds until one team reaches a total point value of 150.

* Pinochle is divided into 2 phases (MELD and PLAY)

MELD Phase

* Player to the left of dealer starts bidding (minimum 20) which is the value that he and his partner will acquire during the MELD and PLAY phase of that round. If no one bid the minimum of 20 goes to the person who sits to the left of the dealer.

* The last bidder standing is the player who wins bid and determines the “Trump” suit (Team A)

* The partner of the bid winner (Team A) gives winner three cards, which are generally Aces and trump cards

* Bid winner lays down his MELDs and accumulates points – then gives the three unused cards back to his partner

* Bid winner’s partner lays down his MELD and accumulates points, the two scores are added together for Team A

* Other two players lay down their MELD cards without exchanging cards, the two scores are added together for Team B

* Cards can be used more than once to acquire more MELD points except for a Trump Run (A, 10, K, Q, J), the Trump King and Trump Queen may not be used again for a Trump Marriage

* A person who has the 9 of Trump gets one point and that point is kept separately (known as a DIX)

* Team B is required to take at least 1 trick during the PLAY phase in order to keep their MELD score (unless Team B got the DIX, in which case they are allowed to keep that 1 point from their MELD score).

PLAY Phase

* Each Ace, 10, King acquired during a trick is worth 1 point + the person who takes the last trick of that round gets 1 point (maximum total of 25 points per round)

* The bid winner plays the first card and each player must follow suit if possible. If a player cannot follow suit, he must play a trump card. If a player cannot follow suit and does not have a trump card, he may play any card.

* If the starting player does not play the highest ranking card, all other players that follow must play a higher ranking card if possible (even if it’s his partner).

* A player’s first obligation is to follow suit (and beat the highest played suit card), second play trump (and beat a previously played trump card), and third play any other card in their hand.

* The player that wins the trick, starts the next trick. The person who starts the trick often plays their highest ranking cards so he can win those early tricks.

* If two cards of the same rank are played, the player who put down the first card wins the trick.

* The team that does not win the bid (Team B) must take at least one trick during the playing phase of that round otherwise they lose all the points they acquired during their MELD of that round (unless they acquired the DIX card…then they keep 1 point).

Scoring

* After the last trick is taken, the teams score their hands for the number of Aces, 10’s, and Kings won. Additionally, 1 point is awarded to the team who took the last trick in that round.

* The winning bid team (Team A) gets the points for winning the bid (i.e. 35 points if that was their bid), plus the amount of points associated with the value of their points during the MELD phase and the value of their points during the PLAY phase (BID+MELD+PLAY) and Team B gets (MELD+PLAY) as long as they take at least 1 trick during the PLAY phase (plus considering the DIX factor).

* If the winning bid team (Team A) does not meet the minimum amount of their bid, it is known as going “set” and Team A loses the amount of points they bid. Their total for that round is minus their bid amount. If they bid 35, they will end up with a point value of -35 regardless of how much they acquired during the MELD and the PLAY phase of that round. DIX does not apply to the winning bid team (Team A).

* After several rounds, if both teams go over 150 points during the same round, the bidding team (Team A) wins the game even if their total point value is less than the other team (ROUND 9: Team A = 151, Team B = 159).

5 Player Pinochle

You need to play with 1 ½ pinochle decks (3 regular decks), but without the 9s. There will thus be three aces of spades, three tens of hearts, and so forth. Cards are dealt out to all the players. Bidding starts at 150. Whoever gets the bid names one specific card, for example "the Queen of Clubs." Starting with the player to the bidder's left, each player in turn says "I don't have that card" or "I do." As soon as somebody has the named card, stop. That player is now the bidder's partner. The partner passes the bidder three cards, exactly the same as a partnership in four-handed. The other three players will be playing against the partnership.

Everybody's score is kept separately. (If you're scoring with chips, everybody needs their own set.) The partners each score half of the points they earned as partners. The other three players score their own points. If they go set, each player loses half the usual points for going set. There are a total of 370 points to score from tricks, including taking the last trick. The only other difference is that the scoring table has to be expanded a bit for those insanely rare occasions when somebody has, say, triple Kings Around. I suggest using the same scoring table that you'd use for double-deck pinochle. I think every other version of 5-handed I could find online said use two full decks, no nines. Oh, dear God, no. In standard pinochle you're playing with a hand of 12 cards. Three-handed gives you 15 cards, but the extra cards you get for bidding are completely random, instead of chosen by your partner. If you play 5-handed with two full decks, you'll get sixteen cards and get cards chosen by your partner and there aren't any nines! You'd have to play to 4000 points just to keep the game from ending after the 3rd hand!

Class
Meld
Single
Double
Triple
Meld In Suit
Basic Run (A, 10, K, Q, JIAQ in trump)
150
1500
2250

KQ in trump (aka “Royal Marriage”)
40
80
120

KQ, not trump (aka “Marriage”)
20
40
60

A nine in the trump suit2

10 each

Held In Rank
(aka “Arounds”)
A, one of each suit (aka “100 Aces”)
100
1000
1500
K, one of each suit (aka “80 Kings”)
80
800
1200
Q, one of each suit (aka “60 Queens”)
60
600
900
J, one of each suit (aka “40 Jacks”)
40
400
600
Pinochle
J of Diamonds & Q of Spades
40
300
600

5 Player Pinochle (Version 1)

A "trick-taking" card game designed for play with up to five players (in two teams) and an 80-card deck, Pinochle lets players score points by "trick-taking," or stacking cards into a pile during a "play phase" where the player with the highest-ranked suit takes the pile of cards. Pinochle players also score points by building "melds," or sets of cards matching by suit. Five-player Pinochle adjusts the usual set of Pinochle rules by allowing two decks and a different "card hierarchy" in game play.

Pinochle Setup

A five-player Pinochle deck contains around 80 cards, consisting of four copies of the numbered (minus nine) and face value cards. Pinochle's card hierarchy is ace, 10, king, queen and jack. One player deals the entire deck to all players in sets of three, leaving five random cards face-down in the middle of the playing table. The highest bidder gets these cards, or "the widow," if he or she wins the current bid. After the cards are dealt, each player may "bid," or state the number of points they wish to score during game play. Opening bids should reach a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 60.

Playing The Game

The highest bidder names the "trump," or dominant suit after bidding. He or she may choose the "trump suit" from a suit with the most cards in their hand. After choosing the trump suit, the person to the bidder's left becomes their teammate, if they hold the ace or next lower ranked card of that suit; the other players become the opposite team. The bidder takes the remaining five cards (the widow) and places them into their hand. Each player puts their "melds," or card combinations, on the playing table to count and score each set.

Creating Melds

A meld combines a single group of a player's cards in hand. Before the start of a play, each player reveals their "melds" to the other players. A group of melds score according to the number of copies of a card in hand: single (one card); double (two cards); triple (three cards); quadruple (four cards). Melds come in four types: "runs," "marriages," "pinochles" and "arounds." Runs contain a combination of aces, 10s, kings and queens in a trump, or higher ranked, suit. Marriages combine kings and queens; a royal marriage combines a king and queen in a trump suit. Pinochles contain a combination of the jack of diamonds and queen of spades. Arounds contain a straight combination of any ace, king, queen and jack in each suit.

Scoring Points

After each player gathers their melds, they may count their points. The melds of runs, marriages, pinochles and arounds each give a varying amount of points to each player. Marriages give two points, while royal marriages give four. Pinochles and jack arounds award four points each; queen arounds give six points, king arounds eight points and ace arounds 10 points. Roundhouses, or a set of an ace, king, queen and jack in each suit, award 28 points. Runs, in the trump suit, give 15 points.

Continuing The Game

The highest bidder discards five cards after scoring the melds. He or she leads the first trick, or cards from each player played during the round. Each player may play a card with the same suit as the first played card or the trump suit; if a player doesn't have a matching suit, he may use any card. The player with the highest-ranked card takes the current trick. If more than one player plays a trump suit, the player with the highest rank beats the others. The current round continues until each player uses up their cards. After the round ends, each player totals every counter, the ace, king and 10 in hand from the last round; the last trick won from any team gets awarded two points.

Determining Bids

Each player adds counter, meld and trick points to determine their total score; the points won by each team member count as their entire score. The team who doesn't fulfill their bid must subtract their bid from their overall score; players who didn't bid keep their points. Bidding players can "forfeit" their bid, before beginning a play, by calling a trump and discarding their hand. These players won't score anything from their melds and tricks, and other players will collect their points. The game continues until one player has at least 240 points.

5 Player Pinochle (Version 2)

Universal Pinochle’s 5-handed game uses two decks and allows passing between partners. Bidding begins at 500 and proceeds by 10 point increments. Bidding is optional, and if no one bids, a new hand is dealt. The current version of the game does not allow “bid or bunch”.

Unlike 4- and 6-handed pinochle, multiple marriages in trump count 300, 600, 900, and 1200. All other scoring remains the same. For example, single, double, triple, and quadruple pinochle count as: 40, 300, 600, and 900.

If you meld trump marriages, you cannot use runs. You need to decide: marriages or runs. You cannot meld both. Unless you have a double run, use multiple marriages for the higher score.

Essentially, 5-handed pinochle favors trump marriages; 4- and 6-handed are games of runs.

Five-handed pinochle has no set teams. After winning the bid, you ask for a specific card. The player with that card is your partner for the hand, while the other three players work against you and your temporary partner. The next time you win the bid, you probably will have a different partner!

Meld and trick counters for the bid winner and partner are shared, as is the penalty for going set (the bid amount). However, the other three players count their melds individually and share only the trick count.

The game ends when an individual player gets at least 5,000 points. The standard rule for determining the winner applies: if more than one player has 5,000 points, and one is the bid winner that hand, the bidder wins, even with a lower final score.

5 Player Pinochle (Version 3)

THE DECK

In Bruce's 5 card (and 7 card) pinochle you use the standard 48 card pinochle deck. The cards rank as A (highest), 10, K, Q, J, and 9 (lowest). The A, 10, and K count as 1 point each during 'the play' or 'taking tricks', and are known as 'counters'. The Q, J, and 9 are known as 'non-counters' or 'losers'.

THE DEAL

Each player cuts for the right to be the first dealer of the game, highest card wins the deal. If there is a tie, only the tying players cut again, until only 1 player remains.

The dealer shuffles the cards, then the player to the right cuts the deck. Dealer deals 1 card at a time, starting on his left. Each player receives 5 cards in 5 card pinochle, or 7 cards each in 7 card pinochle. After each hand is finished, the next player to the left becomes the dealer for the next hand.

THE BID

Starting with the player immediately to the left of the dealer and going clockwise, each player gets (only) 1 chance to bid. A player can pass if he does not desire to place a bid. A player bid depends on the number of points he thinks he can take from counting meld and taking tricks. Bidding can start as low as 1. The next player must beat the previous bid or pass. A player can bid as high as he desires. The winner of the bid gets to decide which suit will be trump for that hand. If everyone passes (highly unlikely), the dealer wins the bid for 1 point.

If the winning bidder does not make his bid at the end of the hand, he gets the bid subtracted from his score (goes back). He loses any points gained during the hand, either from counting meld or taking tricks. However, he does get to keep any points taken by 9's of trump that he scored during the meld count.

THE DISCARD AND DRAW

After bidding is finished, the players then must decide which cards to discard, if any. A player can discard as many cards as he desires, except in 5 card pinochle when there is more than 4 players, and in 7 card pinochle when there is more than 3 players. For example, in 7 card pinochle with 4 players, each player is only allowed to discard up to 5 cards. This is because you only have 48 total cards in the deck.

The dealer starts dealing out the replacement cards after the discard by starting with the player who won the bid, and then works clockwise. Each player receives (draws) the same number of cards as he discarded, so each player ends up with 5 cards when playing 5 card pinochle, and 7 cards if playing 7 card pinochle.

COUNTING MELD

The next step is for each player to count his meld. Each player must lay down his meld on the table for all to see. Here is the meld scoring chart:

4 Aces (different suits) 10 points

4 Kings (different suits) 8 points

4 Queens (different suits) 6 points

4 Jacks (different suits) 4 points

King & Queen (trump) 4 points

King & Queen (same suit, not trump) 2 points

A, 10, K, Q, J of trump ("a run") 15 points

9 of trump 1 point

J Diamonds & Q Spades ("pinochle") 4 points

Both J Diamonds & both Q Spades ("double pinochle") 30 points

The 15 point run of trump includes the marriage within the run. The same card can be counted more than once for different types of meld, but not for the same type. For example, a single Q of spades can be counted in both a pinochle with the J of diamonds, and again in a marriage with the K of spades, but the same single Q of spades cannot be counted twice in two marriages with 2 K's of spades, since marriages are of the same type of meld.

For a player to keep his meld, he must take at least 1 point during trick taking. The exception to this rule is the 9's of trump. A player does not lose any points gained in counting 9's in meld, even if he does not make his bid at the end of the hand. Thus 9's of trump should be marked down separately on the score sheet from the rest of the meld.

TAKING TRICKS OR PLAYING OUT THE HAND

The winner of the bid plays the first card. He can lead any card he likes except trump, unless trump is all he has in his hand. Trump must not be led until it is 'broken'. The next player to the left then plays 1 card. Then the next player to the left plays 1 card, and so on, until each player has played a card, and the 'round' is complete. Each player must follow the suit led and must beat the card(s) that have been played previously in the round if possible. If he cannot follow suit, then he must play trump. At this point, trump is 'broken'. If he cannot follow suit nor play trump, then he can play any card he desires. He must always try and take the trick if possible. In other words, he must play a higher card in the suit that has been led and have been played, or if a player cannot follow suit, and trump has already been played, then he must try to beat the trump. However, a player must always play the suit that was led, if he has it, even if a previous player has played trump. The 'round' ends when each player has played 1 card. The 'trick' is taken by the player who first played the highest-ranking card of the suit that has been led, or if trump has been played, the highest trump that was played first takes the trick. The player who takes the 'trick' then leads in the next 'round'.

To clarify the above paragraph here's an example. Let's say there are 4 players, and the winning bidder has declared diamonds as trump for this hand. Trump has not been broken yet, so player 1 who has the lead in this round plays a 10 of clubs. Going clockwise, it is player 2's turn. Player 2 has a Q and A of clubs. Player 2 has to play his A of clubs, since he must try and take the trick. Player 3 does not have clubs, so he has to play trump, if he has any. Player 3 plays a K of diamonds. It is now player 4's turn. If player 4 has clubs, he must follow the suit that was led and play clubs. He can play any club he wants at this point, since the trump played by player 3 will take the trick, therefore player 4 can't beat it. If player 4 has no clubs, then he must play trump. If he can beat player 3's K of diamonds, he must do so. If player 4 has neither clubs nor diamonds, he can play any card he wants. In this example, player 4 does not have clubs, and only has one trump, the other K of diamonds, so he has to play it. Since player 3 played the first K of diamonds, he wins the round and takes the trick. Player 3 then leads the next round. Player 3 can lead with trump if he desires, because trump has now been broken.

When the rounds end or all cards have been played out, then each player counts his points taken. Only A's, 10's, and K's count as 1 point each. Q's, J's, and 9's have no value when counting up the points from taking tricks. The player who takes the 'last trick' also receives 1 additional point. The game then continues with the dealing of the next new hand.

ENDING OF THE GAME

The game ends when a player reaches 50 or more points at the end of a hand. If more than 1 player reaches 50 or more points, and 1 of those players was the winning bidder, then the game goes to the winning bidder of that hand, no matter if the other player's) have more points. This can make bidding quite aggressive near the end of the game. If none of the players with 50 or more points were the winning bidder, then the game goes to the player with the highest points. If there is a tie, then the game continues on only with the tying players until there is a winner.

THE RENEGE

If a player reneges, by drawing a different amount of cards than he discarded, or by not following the rules for taking tricks, then he has reneged, and ruined the hand. For example, if a player does not beat a card that has been played in a round when he could have, or played trump when he didn't have to, etc, he has reneged. At this point the hand is over. The player who caused the renege loses all points for that hand, including all his meld (9's of trump too), and goes back whatever the bid was for that hand. All other players get to keep their meld, but not any points taken during the taking of tricks.

Several generations ago my family invented a version of pinochle that allows 5 players to play and is won individually (not as a team). I think it speaks to our competitive nature that this is one of our favorite card games whenever we get at least 5 family members together.

At a family reunion this summer I played it a bit, and decided to write down the rules so I don't forget the next time I play... one time we tried to remember them after a long break, and we got it all wrong.

I still remember very distinctly the summer I learned to play this game. My cousin and great-aunt were visiting from the East Coast. After learning the rules and such, we started getting competitive. I remember being dealt an outstanding hand, outbidding my great-aunt (who was a legendary high bidder) with a bid of 72... and I managed to make it. It was a high point of my adolescence, for sure.

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5 Player Pinochle (Version 4)

2 pinochle decks, remove the 9s.

Card hierarchy is A, 10, K, Q, J

All the cards are dealt to the players (often in batches of 3 at a time), leaving 5 cards untouched in the middle of the table (which are supposed to be dealt randomly during dealing, and never the last 5 cards). This is the "widow" and the high bidder gets these cards.

The total number of counters in the deck is 50 (counters = A, 10, K), including 2 points for taking the last trick.

One round of bidding starts at 40. If no one bids, then the dealer is the "bidder", and has effectively bid 40 points.

The highest bidder names one suit to be trump. The next person around the table, to the bidder's left, who has the Ace of trump, is his or her partner. If no one has an Ace, then it's the next person with the 10. The remaining three people then become the "other" team.

The high bidder then picks up the cards in the widow and incorporates them into his or her hand. This ability to get 5 extra cards has often driven people to bid too high and pay later!

At this point everyone lays down their "meld". The points gained here are added to the total number of counters taken during play.

Meld Points:

Marriage (K, Q of same suit) = 2

Marriage in trump = 4

Pinochle (J of diamonds + Q of spades) = 4

Jacks in all four suits ("40 Jacks") = 4

Queens in all four suits ("60 Queens") = 6

Kings in all four suits ("80 Kings")= 8

Aces in all four suits ("100 Aces") = 10

A, K, Q, J in all four suits ("Roundhouse") = 28 (?)

Run (A, 10, K, Q, J) - trump only = 15

It should be noted that I learned how to play with "Shore rules" but in other branches of the family, there are "Michigan rules". The main difference (that I can remember) is that for Michigan rules, a double pinochle (i.e. 2 jacks of diamonds and 2 queens of spades) is 20 points, whereas in Shore rules it's 8 (2x 4). This nearly caused an incident this summer, but was thankfully ameliorated by the person with the double pinochle being outbid.

After playing all the meld and counting it up, the high bidder discards 5 cards (and must disclose to the other players if he or she discards any trump cards). If the high bidder has an amazing hand and could meld all their cards without leaving at least 5 out, then he or she has to remove some meld in order to discard. Then the high bidder leads, and must lead in the trump suit.

The play proceeds as standard trick/trump games go. The person who plays the highest card of the suit led takes the trick and leads the card for the next round. Play proceeds in a standard clockwise direction. If someone no longer has any cards of the suit led, they must play trump. If more than one person must trump, the second person must beat the first person's trump card, if they can. In the case of a trumped round, the person who played the highest card in the trump suit takes the trick and leads the next round. If a player is out of the suit led and is out of trump, he or she can play any card of any suit but has no chance of winning that round.

Play continues until all players are out of cards.

Each team then counts the number of "counters" they took during game play. These are A, 10, and K of any suit. The team that took the last trick gets an extra 2 points.

The counters are then added to the meld points. Each person on each team gets the points accrued by their team during that hand.

The bidding team must have beaten their bid (i.e. if they bid 50 points, then their meld + counters must be at least 50). If they do not make their bid, then the bid amount is SUBTRACTED from their overall score (ouch!).

The "other" team, made of the three non-bidders, must take at least one trick during the hand in order to "save their meld". If they do not take at least one trick, they do not get any points for the hand.

The game proceeds until one person reaches 240 points.

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The great thing about this game is that your partner is almost never the same person from hand to hand. Bidding can get out of control and then the unlucky person with the Ace of trump can end up being taken down by the high bidder... it's a game full of drama and strategy.

We have played 5 handed pinochle for years and years. The rules we play are a little different. Bidding starts at 50. Double pinochle is 30, triple pinochle is 75. The winner of the bid picks up the 5 cards and then asks for one specific card. The first person to his left that has the card is the partner. So, you are always assured of at least one card. The partner gives them the card and then they must give one back. A double run is 150 points. a single run is 15 or 20 depending on who you are playing with. This is my family's favorite game by far.

We always played 5 handed by dealing all the cards out. When you bid and you need a card to finish your hand, you can ask for it after you won the bid. the person that has the card is your partner for the hand and the other 3 are partners for that hand.Then you give a card back to the person that had the card you needed.

I have played the other way but find this way much better. You never know who will be your partner, hopefully not someone ahead of you. Do not go broke or partner mad at you. Also you do not have to take a partner if you do not need a card to make a good hand.

Back in college in the '70s, we played a LOT of pinochle, single-deck, double-deck, usually partners. One day there were 5 of us who wanted to play. We only had one deck of cards. So, we played, "5-handed, single-deck, cutthroat (no partners pinochle.

Each player recieved 9 cards, the remaining three were put in a "kitty" which no one saw. Meld followed the lower-point method (without multiplying it by 10): Ace's around = 10, Kings around = 8, Queens = 6, Jacks = 5; a Run (A, 10, K, Q, J) in trump = 15; etc. Bidding started at 15, but if the dealer got "stuck" his "bid" was just 12.

The winning bidder, or the dealer if he got stuck, gets the kitty for their hand, looks his cards over, keeps what he wants, and then discards three cards. No one gets to see the discard cards (except the bidder, obviously!).

The winning bidder lead the first trick, and did not have to lead trump. Typical rules were: had to follow the lead suit if possible, if not had to trump if you had it, if not you could play any suit. Last trick was worth an extra point. Points given only for A, 10, K.

It was (is!) a vicious game! Lots of times the bidder gets put down (set). Game was to 100 points.

5 Player Pinochle (Version 5)

2 Pinochle decks of cards (96 cards)

After all 5 players are seated, cards are cut by each player and the first Ace wins the deal.

Two pinochle decks are riffled at least three times before the deal and the person to the right of the dealer cuts the deck. Cards are dealt three at a time with one card placed in the center of the table for the widow after each round. The deal can be dealt other ways but multiple cards should be dealt to each player and the widow should not be dealt the last 6 cards.

Auction bidding starts at 50. If no one bids, the dealer gets the hand for 50. It’s the dealer’s option to discard the hand but the dealer’s score will take a deduction of 50 points. If this happens, the other players will have their meld added to their score. The winner of the bidding turns over the 6 widow cards for all players to view. Trump is called by the winning bidder and meld is shown by all players. The standard value for all possible meld applies (see Points below). The winning bidder decides if playing alone is desired or if a partner is needed. If a partner is needed, the winning bidder chooses the card that will determine the partner. Usually it’s the Ace of trump but that may not be the card chosen by the winning bidder. The winning bidder then discards 6 cards and only discloses if trump has been discarded (24 trump cards are in the deck and counting trump should be done). Play is begun by the winning bidder. Some require that trump is always lead first but that is a “house” rule. The rule of “heading the trick” (a player must play a higher card if he has one) is used by The National Pinochle Association, Inc. However, many only apply this rule to trump. Players must agree on this rule before play is begun. If a partner is needed, play proceeds until the designated card is played. All tricks collected by the winning bidder and partner are collected together and counted as one score. However, only the winning bidder’s meld is counted toward the final score. After play has concluded, the points are counted and given to each player. There are 50 points in every hand (48 points for cards and 2 points for last trick).

Bidding can be fierce and frustrating. Many players overbid and take a long chance on something that they should know can seldom come through. The widow can sometimes help with one or two cards a player may need but rarely will provide more than that.

Play continues until a player reaches a score of 225.

There are many variations of the 5 handed game but this one has been a favorite with my family and friends.

POINTS:

• Trump Sequence: A, 10, K, Q, J 15 points

• Royal Marriage: K & Q of trump 4 points

• Plain Marriage: K & Q of any suit 2 points

• Pinochle: J of Diamonds & Q of Spades 4 points

• Double Pinochle: 30 points

• Four Aces in different suits 10 points

• Four Kings in different suits 8 points

• Four Queens in different suits 6 points

• Four Jacks in different suits 4 points

• Nine of Trump 1 point

• Round House: 4 Kings & 4 Queens 24 points

• Last trick 2 points

I REALLY need to see a video of how you play your variant out. Can you set up a 5-handed game for me and video it from a bird's eye view or first-person view, so that I can see all of the tabled cards (and one person's holdings if possible)?

I am developing the world's first official Pinochle Notation at www.powerpinochle.com/forum/PN.php and I need to make sure I can accommodate all the zany, tribal variants that are floating around.

I'm sorry to not leave my email address, but you can Private Message or Email me via the software at Power Pinochle.

Thanks in advance!

Playing 5 handed pinochle with 2 decks of cards...NO NINES.

5 Player Pinochle (Version 6)

MELD

1. 48 card deck; each player get 12 cards (8-A, 8-K, 8-Q, 8-J, 8-10, 8-9) three cards at a time until players get 12 cards each

2. Dealer calls out a card that he has one of and this will be his partner

3. Player to the left of the dealer begins bidding starting at 20

4. Player can bid or pass, once they pass they will no longer be allowed to bid. Everyone continues to bid until only one bidder is left. That player who won the bid will decide on trump.

5. The partner of the player who won the bid will pass him three cards.

6. The playing who won the bid will look at the three cards given to him by his partner and will in turn give his partner three cards.

7. The team who did not win the bid does not pass any cards.

8. Melding begins and the point value is included. Double are extremely rare except for the double Pinochle.

9. Scores are recorded for each person and added to their team total.

10. If a player has a trump run, he does not receive the points of a trump marriage within that run.

11. If a player is dealt a hand with 5 or more 9’s and no melds, the hand can be thrown in and the deck must be re-dealt. The hand must be thrown in before bidding begins however.

TRICK TAKING

1. The bid winner starts the play. Each player plays a card into the middle and the highest ranking card wins. If a trump is played it has more value than other higher ranking non-trump cards played.

2. Each Ace, 10, King, and the person who takes the last trick is worth 1 point.

3. Each round has a total of 25 points possible.

4. The bid winner plays the first card and each player must follow suit if possible. If a player cannot follow suit, he must play a trump card. If a player cannot follow suit and does not have a trump card, he may play any card.

5. The player that wins the trick, starts the next trick. The person who starts the trick often plays their highest ranking cards so he can win those early tricks.

6. If the starting player does not play the highest ranking card all other players that follow must play a higher ranking card if possible (even if it’s his partner). If the other players cannot beat the top card they must still follow suit.

7. If two cards of the same rank are played, the player who put down the first card wins the trick.

8. The team that does not win the bid must take at least one trick during the playing phase otherwise they lose all the points they acquired during their MELD round.

9. If a team does not make their bid, it is known as going “set” and that team loses the amount of points they bid. So their total for that round is minus their bid amount. If the team wins the bid with 33, their point value for that round will be -33 regardless of how much they acquired during the MELD or the PLAY phase of that round.

10. If both teams go over 150 points in the round, the bidding team wins the game even if their total point value is less than the other team.

After the last trick is taken the teams score their hands for the number of Aces, 10’s, and Kings won. Additionally, 1 point is awarded to the team who took the last trick in that round.

SCORING

1. The team who won the bid gets the points for winning the bid (i.e. 35 points if that was their bid), plus they also got the amount of points associated with the value of their melds during the “meld” phase. The amount of points taken during the “playing” phase is added to the total score.